Prevention key to fighting asthma

Published 5:42 pm, Friday, December 7, 2012

On some measures, Connecticut ranks in the top tier of healthiest states. But, like the rest of New England, asthma rates remain stubbornly high, according to a report released last week. That leads to millions of dollars in medical costs and decreased quality of life for thousands of people. It doesn't have to be like this.

According to the state Department of Public Health, 11.3 percent of Connecticut children under age 17 suffered from asthma in 2010, the most recent year for which data is available. This compares to a 9.4 percent national average for children. The state's adult asthma rate is also higher than the national figure.

But it's not an illness that hits all communities equally. Along with any number of other social ills, Connecticut's cities bear the brunt of the problem, with poor families much more likely to have a member suffering from asthma. In households earning less than $15,000 annually, the chance of having an asthmatic child is twice as high as in a family making more than $75,000.

All this leads to time spent in the hospital and money that could be used elsewhere, to say nothing of the serious consequences that can befall someone battling the disease. And as experts point out, it is a controllable problem, one that could be helped through better planning and better education -- and better choices.

Smoking, for instance, is a serial contributor to asthma, but so is the environment. For some people it could be as simple as living in an older building more likely to have mold. External factors, like proximity to highways or power plants, also play a role.

It's important for families to recognize the symptoms and be treated as soon as possible. That means education is vital, and the state is working to do a better job getting the word out.

In the end, the cost of prevention is more than made up for by the savings in potential hospital visits.